A MAN who was seen driving recklessly through Warrington in the early hours attempted to bite a police officer as he was being arrested.

Robert Shimmin, 25, was caught in August driving between 50mph and 60mph in a 30mph zone on Cromwell Avenue at approximately 1.45am.

Warrington Magistrates' Court heard on Tuesday that Shimmin, 25, was also charged with taking the vehicle without the consent of the owner, failing to stop when required by a police officer and driving without insurance.

A statement by police officers who arrested Shimmin was read by John Richards, prosecuting.

He said Shimmin drove a Renault Captur without permission from the owner on August 4.

Police then saw the vehicle travelling at speed and followed, watching the car ‘skid and almost lose control’ when entering a roundabout.

The car sped over speed bumps without breaking and when it finally came to a stop, two men ran away closely followed by officers.

Shimmin, from Stockbridge Village, claimed to have been given permission to drive the car by the owner’s son, a named a driver, but this was disputed by the owner.

After a struggle during arrest, Shimmin was taken to the ground by police and attempted to bite an officer.

The officer in question had to take ‘evasive action’.

The court also heard that Shimmin had previously received four points on his driving licence for speeding and six points for driving with no insurance.

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In mitigation, Jane Hedges, defending, said Shimmin was ‘a person of good character’ who ‘entirely regrets’ the incident.

She added: “He was involved with the wrong people but has since entered a stable relationship and is due to start a stable job on Monday.

“He also accepts that police have a difficult job, his behaviour was not what it should have been, and he was goaded into acting in that way by two men in the back of the car.”

In an interview with a probation officer earlier that day, Shimmin was said to have shown remorse and accepted his actions were ‘unacceptable’, especially to bite a police officer.

Chair magistrate Tom McNeill, said: “For someone of no previous offences, August 4 was not a great day for you.

“It would be beneficial for you to discuss what made you act in that way in the first place and tarnish your unblemished record.”

Shimmin was handed a 12-month community order which includes 120 hours of unpaid work, disqualified from driving for nine months and issued with court costs totalling £525.